Speeches

Thank you for that gracious introduction President DeGioia—and thanks to Parenting magazine for sponsoring not only this special event but for honoring the critical importance of parental involvement in our nation's schools.

President Obama and I believe that every child deserves a world-class education. When the president says every child, it is not just rhetoric--he means every child, regardless of his or her skin color, nationality, ethnicity, or ability. The truth is, however, that virtually everyone professes to believe that all children deserve a world-class education.

I am pleased that the Department is issuing this Dear Colleague letter on athletic programs today. I think this reaffirmation of longstanding policy will help to bolster Title IX and assure that educational institutions that receive federal financial assistance do not discriminate on the basis of sex.

If there is a message that I hope you will take away from today's conference it is this: The arts can no longer be treated as a frill. As First Lady Michelle Obama has said, "the arts are not just a nice thing to have or do if there is free time or if one can afford it... Paintings and poetry, music and design... they all define who we are as a people."

Secretary Arne Duncan made these introductory remarks in a joint press call with Richard Lapchick, Director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida, and Benjamin Jealous, President and CEO of the NAACP.